ComboPlate Booking Celebrates 25 Years of Music, Community, and Service

AUSTIN, Texas - EntSun -- ComboPlate Booking Celebrates 25 Years of Music, Community, and Service

July 31, 2024 -- ComboPlate Booking, a boutique music agency owned and operated by native Austinite Laura Thomas, is set to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary next month with a special event.

Founded in 1999, ComboPlate Booking has been dedicated to representing singer-songwriters, advocating for folk music, cultivating community, and building lasting relationships with venues and talent buyers. Through hard work, grit, and resilience, Laura has kept independent artists employed by booking countless performances at venues, festivals, and house concerts, primarily in the USA but also in Europe and Canada. Embracing the challenges, Laura has found passion in working with artists on her roster and connecting them with the best presenters to elevate their music.

Having worked as a social worker before starting ComboPlate Booking, Laura knew the importance of cultivating community. However, she never expected to find the life-changing and unexpected home she discovered in the diverse folk genre and community. Laura is forever grateful to her "folk family," the big-hearted community of music fans, musicians, and industry alike who gather to support the music they love.

Laura is proud to have served six years on the Board of Directors at Folk Alliance International, including two years in Executive leadership. Her board work focused on advocacy and mental health awareness. Additionally, Laura has served on panels and mentoring sessions at SXSW, the Americana Music Association, Southwest Regional Folk Alliance, and Folk Alliance International.

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In addition to artist representation, ComboPlate Booking has maintained an ongoing community service relationship with Caritas of Austin. Since 2001, Laura has organized volunteer musicians for a monthly concert at the Caritas Community Kitchen, and since 2002, she has organized musicians to play a showcase at the Kitchen during SXSW music week, appropriately named South By Soup Fest. Laura says, "Having music at the Community Kitchen is a true gift for the diners, and musicians are given an outlet and opportunity to volunteer their time – the exchange has been beautiful."

In 2005, Laura converted her annual agency non-SXSW showcase to South By Soup Fest @ Guero's, a concert and fundraiser for the Food Services programs at Caritas of Austin. Between 2005 and 2024, these fundraising efforts have reached a grand total of $81,393.

To allow more time for family, ComboPlate has downsized to working with just two artists. The decision to step back was not an easy one. Laura states on her website, "I owe so much gratitude to the artists I have represented over the years and especially these artists of most recent years... Y'all are family to me. Seriously, I feel I am the luckiest booking agent around to have worked with the amazing artists I have."

To commemorate the 25th anniversary, ComboPlate Booking will host a concert and food drive on August 10, 2024, from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Radio East in Austin. The celebration will feature performances by a lineup of artists who have been part of the ComboPlate family over the years, including Nathan Hamilton, Matt The Electrician, Michael Fracasso, Raina Rose, Greg Vanderpool, Beaver Nelson, JM Stevens, and Curtis McMurtry. The event will also include a food drive to benefit the pantry at Caritas of Austin, reinforcing ComboPlate Booking's commitment to community service.

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More information on the event can be found on our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/492650776767025/.

WHAT: ComboPlate Booking's 25th Anniversary Party
WHERE: Radio East, 3504 Montopolis Dr, Austin, TX 78744
WHEN: Saturday, August 10, 6:30 - 9:30 PM
WHY: Celebrate 25 years of live music and support a food drive for Caritas of Austin

About ComboPlate Booking

As ComboPlate Booking looks to the future, it remains committed to operating as a two-artist agency, presenting the Friday Kitchen Concerts at the Caritas Community Kitchen each month, hosting the private South By Soup Fest @ Caritas concert each year, presenting the South By Soup Fest @ Guero's public concert and fundraiser for Caritas each year, and hosting private showcases at Folk Alliance International annually. Native Austinite Laura Thomas is the agent and owner.

For more information about ComboPlate Booking's 25th-anniversary celebration and upcoming events, please visit www.comboplatebooking.com or contact Laura Thomas at laura at comboplatebooking.com.